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A Thousand Stars/Shooting Star
shooting star "she made a wish upon a shooting star and got a miracle in return" PART ONE Chapter One sereya THE DAY was half gone by the time Sereya finally managed to find enough prey that would feed her entire family. She could already imagine the cries her brothers and sisters would make when she came home. There had been too many nights where she had returned hungry and hadn't taken a single piece of prey for herself. On the outskirts of MarshClan, hunger was inevitable. The forest was quiet as she dragged her haul back to her den, where the explosion of noises was easy to pinpoint. "Shush," she hissed as she entered. "Cats will hear you and know you're here." The four kits fell silent. Sereya brought in the rest of the prey before she could snap at her younger siblings even more. Her mother crouched in the corner, thin and gaunt as ever. She was growing steadily weaker, her coughs getting worse and worse each day. Sereya didn't know how long her mother would last until she too gave her soul up to the stars. The stars...they were glittering fire lights in the night sky, once a field of hope for Sereya, but now...they seemed only like the promise of death. She shut out the squeals of her siblings as she smoothed down her golden pelt. Her eyes, a brilliant green, were sharp and attentive to the rest of the forest around her. She heard the wrathful cough erupt from her mother again and knew that soon, she would have to bury yet another family member. Which one of her siblings would she have to give up next? She sighed heavily and managed to snag a small, miserable morsel of mouse before her brothers tore the prey apart. She grabbed another piece of prey and dragged it in front of her mother, along with the catmint she had managed to scrounge up. "Mother?" She nudged the prey and catmint closer. "Eat this; it should help your cold." Her mother barely seemed to hear her and Sereya fought the urge to just turn away and walk out the den and never come back. She battled the urge every day, knowing that if she left, her siblings would die. Her mother would die. Family was the only thing Sereya had to cherish. It took some urging, but finally her mother swallowed both the prey and the herbs. Sereya prayed she would get better, except her mother had been battling the cough for two weeks now with no results. Sereya knew it wouldn't be long before her mother succumbed to the illness and left Sereya to take care of four rowdy and rambunctious kits. Escaping the crowded quarters of the den, Sereya finally managed to dig into her mouse, enjoying the juicy taste of it. Her belly growled with satisfaction; she hadn't had a good meal in a very long time. But her luck wouldn't last long; leaf-bare was coming and Sereya knew she would never manage to find enough prey to feed her family all throughout the season. She turned her gaze to the night sky, watching as stars appeared in the horizon, dotting the inky stretch of night sky. She admired the lights, wondering what each star represented and whose soul it might have once been. She wondered if her father was up there. A flash of something in the sky caught her attention and Sereya's attention snagged on a falling stream of light, going faster than she could blink. A shooting star. Sereya knew the legends, the myths on shooting stars. They were considered a gift from the spirits above and if a wish was made upon a shooting star, it would come true. On instinct, Sereya sent up a prayer for her life to get better, for nature to give her enough prey so that she could feed her family for all of eternity. So that she would never have to worry about hunger or anything that might take her family away forever. The star was gone before Sereya finished wishing and she returned to her meal, feeling a bit silly that she had wished on a falling star. Who said that a shooting star had to mean good luck? It could just be a condemned soul, banished from the heavens that filled the sky above her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned her attention back to the den where her siblings were fighting over the last scraps of the prey. She washed her pelt thoroughly, pleased with herself for managing to snare so much prey for her family. Perhaps things would get better. Perhaps wishes made on shooting stars could come true. rhett RHETT SHOT up a tree, panting heavily as he dragged himself up the last few branches and crouched in silence save for the ragged gasps. He managed to catch his breath in a few gulps of air and stayed as silent as a mouse as he heard the pounding of footsteps under him. A few seconds later, a myriad of cats stormed by, their uniform pawsteps making him shudder. MarshClan soldiers were a nightmare for all rogues and loners out there and Rhett was no exception. He hated risking his life by venturing deep into MarshClan territory for prey but the outskirts that surrounded the Clan never offered enough food. Plus, as a thief, Rhett felt obligated to try a few challenges, even if it meant risking having his pelt skinned alive. He hoped whatever he stole had value to the client because he really needed the prey offered by his client. Rhett wasn't going to let a mission in MarshClan go to waste. After he was certain that the MarshClan warriors were gone, Rhett slid back down the tree and hurried out of Clan territory, crossing the borders with a sigh of relief. He was glad he remembered to slick his pelt with mud before entering Clan territory, to ensure that his scent couldn't be tracked. Any intruders found in MarshClan territory were to be hunted down and executed. Rhett really didn't want to die for stealing a stone. He examined his treasure with interest. It wasn't much: just a round amber stone that glinted in the moonlight. It was clear, so clear that Rhett would see his reflection in it as well as the ground below. He picked it up again, wincing as a jolt of strangeness passed through him as he trotted through the woods to find his client. Tonight was successful, Rhett reflected, pleased with himself for getting through MarshClan's territory once again. He knew the Clan would be on high alert for the next moon, especially since his mud-filled scent would be recognizable now. They knew that the same thief was coming in and out of their territory, stealing their valuable goods and treasure, but they would never be able to match it to him. Which reminded him...Rhett had to wash the mud off his pelt before he went to his client. No use in others figuring out who he actually was. Rhett liked to keep the suspense going. His black pelt already blended well with the night, and Rhett quickly found a stream to rinse off the mud caking his pelt. His eyes, vibrant blue, glowed in the night as he licked his pelt dry before picking up the amber stone and hurrying along once more. He wanted to be rid of his mission tonight so that he could finally sleep on a full stomach. He located the den and scouted the area to make sure he wasn't about to be ambushed. It was bad enough his client knew that he had to have ventured into MarshClan territory to retrieve whatever this amber stone was. Rhett prayed that his client wouldn't be incredibly stupid enough to try to turn him in. One, it would result in Rhett killing the client (if the Clan didn't kill him first for hiring someone to steal this stone), and two, Rhett would have to flee for his sorry life for a good three moons before he could find peace. Luckily, Rhett never gave his real name or his real identity when picking up the mission. Safety always came first to him. Safety and a warm meal. A home would be nice too, but Rhett could live without one. Once he made sure the area was safe, Rhett ventured into the den, poking around to see if his client was home. There seemed to be no one there, though the scent seemed fresh enough. Fresh and doused in something else. Rhett was curious to know that that "something else" was, and he found his answer soon enough when he stumbled across it in the back of the den. His paw sank into something soft and he could feel a gooey liquid seep up his fur as he leaped back with a soundly curse. His client lay there in the dirt, blood gushing from a deep wound in his side. Blood, that was the smell. Rhett gagged and backed out of the den, taking the amber stone with him. It hung on a vine rope around his neck and Rhett quickly washed off his paw to avoid leaving tracks before bounding away from the den. Rhett mentally went through his checklist for the night: One crazy weird amber stone: check. One murderer mystery that may or may not involve Rhett: check. Meal: stomach rumbled in response. Rhett groaned to himself, slowing to a quick paced walk as he scouted for an area to hide out for the night as he mulled over today's events. Raiding MarshClan was almost a common occurence for Rhett, but it usually didn't end up with him being chased out by MarshClan soldiers and with his client dead before he could deliver his prize. He usually ended the day with an empty stomach and no real den to sleep in, but Rhett really didn't like the circumstances he was under right now. A star flashed across the sky and Rhett barely spotted it before it disappeared among the trees again. A shooting star. Maybe a sign of hope for his bleak life. "Or maybe the spirits are testing me," Rhett muttered to himself. Nevertheless, he sent a prayer to the stars, to that one falling star in particular, hoping for an answer to his problems, hoping that he wouldn't have to live this life forever. Chapter Two sereya A MIRACLE would be really nice right about now. She trotted through the woods, sniffing for catmint or anything that could help her. Her mother's cough was getting worse and if she didn't find a cure soon...Sereya shook her head violently. She couldn't think about that. If she did, she might very well walk straight into MarshClan territory and have them execute her for trespassing. But her pawsteps kept well away from the border and she caught whiff of rabbit that had her crouching and pressing her nose closer to the ground. She wasn't going to let prey go to waste, catmint or no catmint. She stalked it, her steps quiet and muffled even with all the leaves and sticks scattered across the ground. Sereya was just prepared to leap when something came lumbering through the forest, scaring away the rabbit. She sat up crossly, annoyed that her prey had been driven off but before she could slink off and avoid whoever it was, a tom came barreling out of the bushes and right into Sereya. She cried out in surprise as the tom knocked into her, sending them both sprawling into a tree. Her back arched at the impact and she shoved the lithe tom off her immediately. She may have been thin but she was still strong from her times in the woods, hunting for her family. The jet black tom tumbled off her and cursed himself soundly as he picked leaves and twigs out of his pelt. "So sorry to have crashed into you." He mumbled, his voice rich and elegant enough that made Sereya pause in her hissing. He looked up at her, his vibrant blue eyes so blue that they almost looked like violet chips of ice. No matter how cold they looked, they burned like fire. "Hello," he smiled slightly at her and inclined his head. A rock that hung on a vine thumped against his chest in that gesture. Sereya stared at it but she shifted her eyes back up to meet his gaze again. "What is your name, lovely?" She bristled at the blatant flirting. "None of your business." "Please to meet you, 'none of your business'. I'm..." He paused himself, as if unsure if he should give her his name. Sereya didn't except him to; none of the rogues outside of MarshClan liked to interact much. Interaction usually meant killing each other for food. Sereya didn't have any friends and she wasn't about to start with a tom with some strange rock strung around his neck. "I'm Rhett." Surprise lit both their eyes--hers because she didn't think he'd tell her anything, his because he must have not expected himself to give his name either. Sereya knew it must be the truth then. "Sereya." She found herself blurting out. Rhett recovered himself and smiled at her again. His face was heartbreakingly beautiful and Sereya couldn't draw her eyes away. "Are you sure it's Sereya? You seemed pretty sure when you said 'none of your business'." Rhett's whiskers twitched. "I'm sure," Sereya snapped. She turned away, intending on leaving him there, but the tom was persistent. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?" Rhett pressed on. "Or do you live on the other side of MarshClan?" Sereya tried to ignore him as she picked her way through the undergrowth. She had to find more prey because this idiot of a tom had scared away the rabbit. But Rhett didn't pick up the clue that she intended to be alone. Stars, the tom was like a cat hunting prey. "Are you going to talk to me? I mean I've seen a lot of cats around here but I've never seen a pretty face like yours. Unless you're from MarshClan of course, then we'll have to split and deal. I can't be found interacting with the likes of Clan cats." "Why would I be a Clan cat?" Sereya was exasperated. "I have a rogue name." "Cats lie, you know." Rhett said in a knowing tone. Serya flicked an ear. "I bet you lie all the time." "Who doesn't?" Me. Sereya didn't bother confessing that she hated lying. No matter of her morals, Sereya had taught herself how to read situations and know exactly what to say to get rogues off her back. She's met plenty of toms who are just after her for looks--stars know why, Sereya didn't think of herself as pretty--but she knew how to drive them off. She picked up the pace, quickening her stride, hoping to leave Rhett behind before she could reach her den. She didn't even know why she was headed home--she had no prey--but she wanted Rhett to just shove off. "You are pretty, you know? I don't know if you picked up that hint." There was a playful jab in his tone and Sereya fought the urge to smack him. "I heard you the first time," she said coldly, "but I'm not interested in toms." "In she-cats then?" Rhett guessed. "I could be that instead if that's what you look for." Sereya halted and whirled around. "I don't care for any cats," she flattened her ears, "now if you'll excuse me, I need to find prey and catmint. You already scared away the last rabbit I was going to catch and who knows how long it'll take for me to find something else!" Meaningless tears sprung to her eyes and Sereya blinked them away furiously. Why was she even crying? Category:Fan Fictions Category:Cchen3's Fanfics Category:A Thousand Stars